Stephen Chow is a veteran actor and director in Chinese cinema. He is celebrated by audiences with the titles “King of Comedy” and “Box Office King” of Hong Kong. Revenue from filmmaking and real estate business, combined with a frugal lifestyle, makes Stephen Chow one of the wealthiest stars in Hong Kong. However, at nearly 60, he remains single and avoids scandals.
The Owner of a 7 Billion VND Fortune
The audience often knows Stephen Chow merely as an actor and director without realizing he is also a tycoon holding many large corporations, successfully operating in various fields. Hong Kong media estimate Stephen Chow’s fortune to be around 2.6 billion HKD (over 7 trillion VND).
In the 90s, Stephen Chow held the record for the most times topping the box office charts in Hong Kong. From a simple actor, he officially established the Sing Mung Company in 1989 to self-produce films that he directed and starred in. After 4 years of operation, the King of Comedy continued to open another company, Hong Kong Tai Sing Film. Since then, works like “Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons,” “The God of Cookery,” “Shaolin Soccer,” and “Kung Fu Hustle” have all achieved phenomenal box office success.
Rarely appearing in public, Stephen Chow is a highly sought-after advertising face for beer and beverage companies in China. His films also incorporate many advertisements, becoming a significant source of income alongside box office revenue.
The King of Comedy also heavily invests in cinema chains. In 2002, he established Bingo Film Company and began acquiring 4 cinema chains for 30 million NDT. Subsequently, Stephen Chow’s company continued to expand, adding many theaters across cities like Chongqing, Chengdu, Guizhou, Shanghai, and more.
Beyond cinema, Stephen Chow is also known as a savvy real estate and stock investor. He has close relationships with many Hong Kong billionaires like Lee Ka-Shing and Yang Shoucheng, receiving various business tips. The King of Comedy currently owns numerous valuable land lots across Hong Kong. He also makes many envious by owning a bungalow on Victoria Peak, the most expensive area in the world where many wealthy families reside.
Additionally, Stephen Chow owns a fast-food restaurant chain bearing his name in Hong Kong, is the owner of Angel Hong Kong football team, and participates in investing in perfumes and wines.
Simplistic to the Point of “Super Frugal”
For many years now, Stephen Chow, despite having a fortune of 7 trillion VND, is known for his simplicity to the point of being labeled “stingy.” Alongside his artistic expertise, he has set strict personal rules: limiting advertising appearances, attending entertainment events, and not lending money to acquaintances… His reclusive lifestyle and indifference to worldly matters have become his trademark.
In fact, since the early 2000s, Stephen Chow had purchased a supercar – a Ferrari 360 Modena. This was the first and only supercar he owned. Later, Chow became an advocate for the environmental movement and switched to riding a bicycle. The Ferrari was left unused in the garage and was often lent to staff.
Stephen Chow’s humble lifestyle has often become a topic of ridicule in public opinion. The peak of the criticism wave towards the “Kung Fu Hustle” star occurred when paparazzi caught him leaving a restaurant with a takeout bag of leftover food. Many people believed he was a wealthy celebrity but was too stingy to waste leftover food.
One thing that people rarely know about Stephen Chow is that during the historic earthquake in Wenchuan, he was one of the most generous artists. He donated up to 30 million NDT to families affected by the earthquake. When doing charity, Stephen Chow never boasted and did not establish a charity fund in his name. He merely used his own way that he deemed appropriate to contribute to society.
Living Alone
The reality is that at 58 years old, Stephen Chow is still living a solitary life. After nearly 60 years, he is accustomed to eating meals cooked by his mother. Stephen Chow’s mother once shared: “I still take care of my son to this day. Stephen Chow still eats the meals I cook every day.”
He has had many relationships with prominent beauties in the Chinese entertainment industry such as Karen Mok, Cecilia Cheung, and Faye Wong, but none ended satisfactorily and even left behind scandals that filled newspapers. At 58, he is very private about his personal life, and no one has had the chance to catch a glimpse of any “rose” by his side for many years.
Regarding the reasons for never marrying, some believe that Stephen Chow lost confidence in love after two unfinished relationships with Cecilia Cheung and Faye Wong. There are also reports indicating that his parents’ failed marriage significantly affected him, causing him to distrust marriage.
At the end of 2020, Chinese media reported that the “King of Comedy of Hong Kong” Stephen Chow was in debt of 1 billion NDT (nearly 3.5 trillion VND) due to gambling losses, surprising the public. Following a series of unpleasant debt rumors, Stephen Chow’s representatives stated: “The information that Stephen Chow owes investors a huge sum of money due to gambling is not true, affecting the reputation of the artist. We hope this information will stop spreading; otherwise, we will have to resort to legal action.”
However, Stephen Chow’s representatives did not disclose specific information about the company’s financial situation during this period.
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